Chapter 3: Mastery of Both Literature and Martial Arts

Qin Xiaosha looked at the county magistrate with interest, thinking to himself: "Are officials nowadays so lacking in authority? Logically, they should exude a commanding presence. After all, we are in a feudal society with a strict hierarchy. Even a minor official, a mere section chief, a thousand years later would be full of self-importance, either puffing up his cheeks and glaring or putting on a stern face to flaunt his authority. Take that pitifully low-ranked Instructor Zhang—damn that Instructor Zhang, how infuriating!"

Qin Xiaoxin felt a surge of joy in his heart—ha ha, he encountered his idol!

Qin Xiaozhang stood there with his mouth agape, unsure of how to explain to the Zhou family. After a silly laugh, he dashed out to the courtyard and began to play by himself. Zhou looked on with a face full of confusion: "What has happened to this child? Why has he changed so much in just a couple of days? He wasn't this lively and active before. Now not only can he catch big fish, but he can also fight. It's truly strange..."

A shichen? Isn't that just two hours?

Hooray

Yet I secretly thought: "Although my skills as a special forces soldier are not necessarily inferior to the martial arts of today, it is said that having more skills is never a burden. Learning one more thing counts as one more skill. I am eager to see just how formidable those martial arts, which are so exaggeratedly praised in the wuxia novels, truly are..."

Unexpectedly, in the midst of sleep, the ancient pine-like old man who had appeared yesterday reappeared

Qin Xiao felt a subtle unease in his heart, but he did not want to dampen the feelings of the Zhou family. Cheerfully, he replied: "Hmm, Xiao... Xiao'er understands. Mother, you go ahead with your tasks. The rain has stopped, and I will go practice my martial arts in the courtyard."

Having spoken, she affectionately patted Qin Xiao's head and took the carp from his hands: "We will stew this fish for ourselves, and the soft-shelled turtle will be sent to Liu Dashanren later, which can also be considered a gesture of filial piety"

Zhou stood up and said with great respect: "Since the esteemed elder has come to visit, please come inside and take a seat. However, I must apologize for the humble state of my home, as I fear it may not meet your expectations."

A burly man behind him said: "This is the county magistrate of our county, who has come specifically to visit you and your child."

Qin Xiaosui casually replied: "Name? San Shou, also known as San Da, free fighting and book fighting"

Ah?

The county magistrate waved his hand and said, "Sister-in-law, there is no need to be polite. This is a small token of goodwill from the Pengze County government. Moreover, according to the laws of the Great Zhou, such tokens of sympathy and gifts are both reasonable and appropriate, so you need not be modest."

At this point, Qin Xiao felt a surge of excitement and said to Tao Gan and Ma Rong: "Are the two of you referring to the county magistrate named Di Renjie?"

Di Renjie and others from the Zhou family looked at Qin Xiao's silly demeanor, and they couldn't help but laugh.

On the morning of the second day, without the urging of military sentinels, Qin Xiaomeng suddenly awoke, rolled over, and hurriedly ran outside, heading straight for the Pengze County office. He was astonished, thinking: "How strange! I practiced martial arts in my dreams all night last night, yet this morning I feel no fatigue at all; instead, I am full of energy, and my limbs are brimming with strength! Just think, if in a thousand years or so, soldiers in China could train like I do now, learning all their skills just by having a good sleep, then it would be difficult for China not to conquer the Earth and dominate the universe!"

After completing a set of punches, Qin Xiaoren could not help but breathe heavily, feeling as though his stamina was nearly exhausted. Moreover, while punching and kicking, it seemed he had strained some muscles and ligaments. At that moment, he recalled that he had been following his habits from his time in the military, practicing a set of punches every morning. However, this body of his could hardly withstand such exertion. Fortunately, he no longer had to carry twenty to thirty kilograms while running five kilometers. Qin Xiaoren couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

This action, instead, surprised Di Renjie. After a brief moment of astonishment, Di Renjie burst into laughter: "So it seems that our master-disciple relationship is indeed quite fateful! Very well, you may rise. Hmm... do you know who I am?"

Student Qin Xiao, pays respects to the esteemed teacher

The county magistrate stroked his gray-white beard and said with a smile, "No problem, no problem. You two, move the grain and vegetable oil that the county office is giving to Sister Zhou into the house together."

Qin Xiaoxin exclaimed in his heart: "Look, there is indeed an ulterior motive, an ulterior motive!"

This time, Qin Xiao has recalled some matters. A few days ago, this old man appeared in his dream and said to him: "In my youth, I once harmed a fierce general of the Tang Dynasty, and today I shall impart my martial skills to you, restoring a great general to the Tang." He was overjoyed to take him as his master and spoke without restraint about wanting to learn both literary and martial talents, to lend them to the imperial family and achieve great accomplishments.

Qin Xiao opened his mouth wide and said: "County magistrate, oh... I wonder what brings the county magistrate to us?"

Qin Xiaofei quickly knelt down on the ground and knocked his head several times. With immense excitement in his heart, he shouted: Is there any need to consider this? If I don't agree, I must have lost my mind!

Behind him, Di Renjie chuckled and said, "No worries, Sister Zhou, just let him in."

The old man hurriedly helped Mrs. Zhou to her feet: "Sister Zhou, please rise quickly. I apologize for my abrupt visit; there is a reason for it. I hope you will not blame me for disturbing the peace of the people without cause."

Qin Xiaolian smiled and thought to himself: "He is indeed a good official. However... could it be that this old county magistrate has some ulterior motives towards my mother, since she is a widow? Hmm, I must keep a close watch on him!"

The old man walked up to Qin Xiao with a smile, squatted down, and said: "Young brother, are you called Qin Xiao?"

The old man smiled quietly to himself, casually trimming his back, leisurely pacing back and forth beside Qin Xiao, as if speaking to himself: "Qin Xiao, you must study hard and practice diligently. Only then can you achieve great fame in the future and not bring shame to your master's name"

Zhou wiped the dust from his hands as he came out of the kitchen, and saw that Qin Xiao was indeed holding a large golden carp and a plump, big-bellied soft-shelled turtle. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "My son, you are truly capable. Why had I not noticed this before?"

Qin Xiaodai was taken aback for a moment, chuckling foolishly as he scratched his head, secretly thinking: You all probably don't know this, do you? When I was in the army, I served as a cook in the mess for half a year. The braised carp I made was specifically requested by those in authority when they had special meals!

Qin Xiaohui turned around and saw Tu Shu, two tall and robust men were accompanying a dignified and composed elderly gentleman towards them. One of the men was carrying a sack of white flour on his back, while the other held an oil can in his hand, and all three were smiling as they looked at him

At that moment, Zhou rushed out of the room in a hurry, knelt down before the three individuals, and pulled Qin Xiao down to kneel as well: "This humble woman, Zhou, pays her respects to the county magistrate. My child is young and lacks understanding, having been disrespectful and bumped into you. I kindly ask for your forgiveness, esteemed magistrate"

Qin Xiaoyi was taken aback, recalling the strike he received yesterday, realizing that his master was a legendary martial arts expert from ancient times. He hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, no, I was wrong, disciple asks for your forgiveness, please forgive me!"

Yet in my heart, I wondered: "Tao Gan, Ma Rong, why do these two names sound so familiar?"

Two men squatted down, and one of them said: "Little brother, my name is Tao Gan." "I am Ma Rong. Little brother, what is the name of the set of punches you just performed? It was truly spectacular!"

Zhou patted Qin Xiao's head and said, "You child, why are you acting so unruly? In front of the county magistrate, you must not be disrespectful"

Zhou led the county magistrate and two others into the room, hurriedly wiping the tables and chairs with his sleeve, and invited them to sit down while he stood with his head bowed to the side. The county magistrate paused for a moment and said to the two men behind him, "You two, take young brother Qin Xiao to play in the courtyard for a while. I have something to discuss with Sister Zhou."

Zhou exclaimed, "Practicing martial arts? When did you learn to fight? Haven't you always disliked wielding weapons and preferred reading and writing instead?"

Suddenly, I recalled that in Jiangzhou, Pengze County, during the Wu Zhou Dynasty... Historically, Di Renjie was once framed by Lai Junchen and others, resulting in his exile and demotion to serve as the county magistrate here. Could it really be such a coincidence

Qin Xiaopao ran into the yard, took a deep breath, and let out a soft shout. He swiftly executed a series of straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts, while his footwork changed rapidly—advancing, retreating, sidestepping, stepping inward, covering steps, inserting steps, and bouncing steps. He seamlessly combined waist contraction, hip lifting, and abdominal tightening, fluidly delivering side kicks, sweeping kicks, and spinning kicks.

Hearing him say "Xiao'er" still feels somewhat awkward. After all, I should be considered a twenty-year-old.

Give to others

After a pause, he said, "Well... it is like this, I just discussed it with your mother and I intend to take you as my student. I wonder if you are willing..."

Zhou said, "Sir, this is absolutely unacceptable... What shall we do about this?"

Qin Xiao was almost jumping with joy, "Master and my two elder brothers, please stay at my home for dinner today! I will cook! Braised carp, my specialty!"

Di Renjie smiled with his eyes narrowed: "Good child, sit down, I have something to say to you"

Qin Xiaoxing rushed in front of Di Renjie, carefully examining this kind and approachable elder who had passed his sixties, yet exuded a subtle aura of authority without anger. He felt a sudden dryness in his throat, almost shouting out, "Idol, I finally get to see you!"

Since childhood, Qin Xiao has regarded the renowned Tang Dynasty statesman Di Renjie as his idol. This admiration stems from two main reasons: first, Di Renjie was exceptionally intelligent and loyal to his country; second, and most importantly, he was known as a "divine detective." From a young age, Qin Xiao was filled with confidence in his own intellect. Fascinated by detective novels, he often speculated about the truth behind various cases as he followed the plots. He particularly enjoyed reading and watching various novels and films featuring Di Renjie solving cases, and his admiration for this legendary statesman of the Tang Dynasty and Eastern detective reached an extreme. His initial dream was to become a remarkable private detective; unfortunately, this profession had already been abolished at that time, and he later inadvertently joined a special forces unit.

Just as he leaned on his knees, panting to catch his breath, two rough voices came from behind: "Good boxing skills!"

That night, Qin Xiao went to bed early, eagerly anticipating the dawn to visit the Pengze County Yamen to meet Di Renjie

Tao Ganma Rong's face subtly revealed a hint of displeasure, as directly calling out a name could be considered a significant disrespect towards the county magistrate. However, seeing that he was just a child, he chose not to hold it against him. The two nodded in agreement: "Indeed."

Qin Xiaoxin was taken aback: "Yes... but I don't know you all."

When Qin Xiaopao ran home, the Zhou family had just finished their needlework and was busy preparing breakfast. Smoke was already rising from the kitchen, and the fragrant aroma of rice porridge wafted through the air.

Di Renjie opened his mouth in astonishment, then smiled and said: "Prime Minister? I am currently just a humble county magistrate. Such a grand title of the foremost figure in the Great Zhou should not be casually placed upon me, haha! How about this: today, let us, master and disciple, establish this bond. Starting tomorrow, after you help your mother with the household matters, come to the Pengze County office to find me, and I will teach you to read and write. What do you think?"

The old man looked at the somewhat dazed Qin Xiao with great astonishment: "Rebellious disciple, do you still wish for your master to discipline you today?"

but involuntarily followed the two men into the courtyard

Qin Xiaochai almost fainted, but this was in a dream, and no matter what, he couldn't truly lose consciousness. He could only cry with a mournful expression and obediently squat down, assuming a horse-riding stance.

Qin Xiaoxing rushed into the house, saying: "Mother, come quickly and take a look, I caught a huge carp and also a big catfish!"

Zhou, who was beside him, was astonished: "What are you talking about, child! When did you learn to cook? Really! However, let’s have your great-grandfather and the two esteemed officials stay for a meal today. It’s rare for this child to catch such a big carp today; let it be a gesture of respect for the teacher."

Tao Gan and Ma Rong exchanged glances for a moment: "San Shou, San Da? Which sect's technique is this? I have never heard of it before"

Qin Xiaoye could no longer afford to hesitate, and he rushed into the room, nearly colliding head-on with Zhou Shi, who was coming out.

At this moment, Qin Xiao suddenly realized: "Tao Gan and Ma Rong, aren't they the martial attendants by Di Renjie’s side? How could it be..."

Qin Xiao stood up, excitedly looking at Di Renjie: "I know. My mentor is the foremost figure in the Great Zhou, Prime Minister Di Renjie!"

The old man snorted coldly: "Very well, I will consider this a sign of your ability to recognize your mistakes and amend them. However, to defy one's teacher and rebel against authority is a grave act of filial impiety. Seeing that you are still young, I will be lenient this time. You are to stand in horse stance for one hour, and then I will teach you the set of Mo Yun palm techniques."

Qin Xiaozhi straightened up and said: "You are ... ... "